


Crepusculum

by buzzbuzz34



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-20 07:17:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20223961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzzbuzz34/pseuds/buzzbuzz34
Summary: This was written as a thank you to Arazsya for getting me so invested in this ship and for their absolutely incredible piece,In Sunlight, which you can find here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20113672/chapters/47648002.Set immediately after the final chapter ofIn Sunlight, Edward and Tjelvar are placed in quarantine in the old Tahan house, to make sure that they are not the next victims of this strange new disease with the blue veins.  While imprisoned, they are forced to consider what they've been through and what will happen after their release, now that they plan to take on the world together.





	Crepusculum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arazsya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arazsya/gifts).
  * Inspired by [In Sunlight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20113672) by [Arazsya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arazsya/pseuds/Arazsya). 

It seemed like ages before Einstein found them in front of the museum. 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t go far!” He cried. 

It hadn’t seemed far to the museum, not while Tjelvar had a story to tell, to offer up some reassurance for Edward for this world of chaos in which they found themselves. Edward had saved him countless times; the least he could do was offer up some historical anecdote that might provide even the smallest amount of comfort. 

Tjelvar hadn’t noticed how his arms were still around Edward, how Edward still gently gripped Tjelvar’s shoulder, how their faces were still close together. At Einstein’s interruption, Tjelvar immediately stepped back again to try and maintain some propriety, leaving Edward looking confused and alone. 

“I didn’t realize how far away the museum was,” Tjelvar replied and cleared his throat as if that would stop Einstein from glancing back and forth between him and Edward. It didn’t. 

After what felt like an agonizing moment, Einstein shrugged. “Oh well, found you, didn’t I? Anyway, I was right. You’re both going to have to go back in quarantine. Especially with what happened with your friend,” he said awkwardly to Edward, his face showing the bare minimum of sympathy. It was all anyone could offer in this new world. 

“Aw, do I have to?” Edward complained. “I already spent a week in there.”

“I’m afraid so. Curie’s orders.”

“Tjelvar will be there, though, right?”

“Where else would I be?” Tjelvar replied, his attempt at reassurance tinged with the slightest bit of unsurprised exasperation. “It’s not as if they’re going to lock you up and let me go.”

“Oh. Well, that’s alright then.”

Edward smiled, and Tjelvar felt another shudder in his chest. Being locked up for a week didn’t sound particularly ideal, but it could be worse. He could be alone again, imprisoned in a crypt and left to die, or stabbed and bleeding out at the hand of a former idol, or back facing any of the myriad of other threats he’d survived before. This time, at least, he’d have Edward there. And there was never a dull moment around Edward. 

“Alright, alright, come on!” Einstein insisted and led the pair back through the sand-swept streets of Cairo to a house that had clearly fallen from a well-manicured state. Tjelvar knew such degradation well, though the process usually took much longer than the year and a half since - according to Edward - the world had fallen. 

They were shown into a cell and Einstein took their excess belongings, including the Lyre, promising to keep them safe until they were released, and then he made his excuses in the usual frazzled exclamations to leave Edward and Tjelvar alone. Through the bars, they could see the forms of a few other refugees who were waiting out their time, not knowing if they would become shadows of themselves with no sense of free will. 

“It’s not so bad,” Edward said confidently as he noticed Tjelvar looking all around the cell and the prison in which they found themselves. “I think the beds here are more comfortable than some of the ones in churches I’ve slept on.” 

“Better than rock or dirt,” Tjelvar added. Across the short distance, Edward began to remove his armor since he wouldn’t need it while they were trapped in a sturdy prison of stone and adamantine bars. “Do you need a hand?” 

“Ah, cheers.” 

Tjelvar fumbled with the clasps of Edward’s breastplate while he busied himself removing other miscellaneous pieces. Reverentially, Edward deposited them all at the foot of a bed, and then took a seat on that mattress while Tjelvar sat on the bed across from him. They both sighed and slumped, taking their first moment of reprieve in ages. 

Edward started asking more questions about Sekhmet and Ra, and Tjelvar happily answered them. He was grateful Edward had paid any attention to his impromptu lesson, even if he likely went into excessive details now that they had nothing else to do, nowhere else to go. However, for his credit, Edward nodded along as Tjelvar spoke and occasionally made an acute remark or query that showed he still listened. 

There was no way of knowing how much time had passed once the sun faded down beyond the small window into the outside world. It was just dark. Apollo had to take care of everyone else, on the other side of the world, Edward had said, and Tjelvar, despite himself, found some small solace in that. 

At some point, a halfling came and passed two trays of food into their cell. He said nothing. Surely it was easier to not know your charges, in case by the end of the week they showed signs and had to be put down. The food itself was bland, but infinitely better than the basic rations Tjelvar had been subsisting on since he ventured off on another adventure. And while they’d been escaping Garston and whatever that beast was in the forest of Russia, they’d barely paused to rest, let alone eat. A bite there, a little more right before their fitful sleep each night, and that was it; it was all they could manage in case they were caught. 

To be caught by the beast would have been a better fate, Tjelvar thought to himself. Better to just be picked apart, than to have to see the smug look on Garston’s face, to see him take Edward away. Tjelvar would be dead either way, but to have Edward fall to Garston’s beck and call, to be broken, enslaved, and irretrievably hurt in ways beyond imagining… simple death was better than that. 

The lamps in the corridor never lowered, but Tjelvar and Edward still found themselves in separate beds, trying their best to let sleep claim them, but they each only managed a minute here, a minute there, as their mind and situation threatened to impede upon even their dreams. What peace he’d claimed since escaping Russia, since having Edward back, didn’t seem to be enough to send him off to a peaceful slumber. 

A loud clanging bell shook Tjelvar from his half sleep, half meditation. Across the cell, Edward stood and immediately started taking off his clothes. 

“What’s going on?” Tjelvar asked hastily, even more confused than usual by Edward’s actions. 

“They’ve got to make sure we don’t have the blue veins,” Edward replied. 

“So we have to get naked.”

“‘Fraid so. Better to catch the veins now than…”

Friedrich. The tightness in Edward’s jaw and the sorrow in his eyes made Tjelvar want to reach out to him or offer up another reassuring tale from history, but neither was possible, between the impropriety of a simple touch while Edward stood stark naked and the orders of a stern sounding woman. 

“Please remove your clothes,” she commanded. “The check won’t take long.”

Despite his inhibitions, Tjelvar obeyed and spun around when requested so that their jailors could verify no blue traced along the grey of his skin. Once given the all-clear, he immediately dressed himself. Only after he was fully clothed again and assumed the other prisoners would be too, did he start to look around again. 

“You get used to it,” Edward said flatly. He still had his shirt off, and Tjelvar would be lying if he said he wasn’t staring. That Edward could manage to be so brave, soft, handsome, and _irritating _all in one hadn’t ceased to amaze him. 

Tjelvar’s eyes hovered on the three massive scars that stretched across almost the entirety of Edward’s torso and he exhaled heavily. 

“Those are from the beast we found at the tomb?” It was more a sympathetic statement than a question. 

Edward looked down at his own injury, then replied, “Yeah. Apollo stitched them up well good, though, didn’t he?”

Somehow, he managed to look proud and gleeful even though he’d almost been ripped apart. 

“I’m glad he did,” Tjelvar whispered. If it weren’t for Edward’s healing magic, there was no way he would have survived. The thought of him bleeding out in a forest, after surviving _Rome_ of all places, made Tjelvar shiver. 

“What about you?”

Tjelvar shook himself from his dreadful reverie. “What do you mean?”

“Did you heal up alright? From where that Garston stabbed you?”

Between running from a rogue archaeologist with mercenaries at his heel and a giant monster, Tjelvar hadn’t thought much of it. His entire body still ached from running back to the tomb, such that he couldn’t tell if the pain was from the stab wound or from exertion, and part of him didn’t want to know which it was. 

However, Edward stood insistently beside Tjelvar, making it clear that he wouldn’t get out of a proper inspection. 

Tjelvar lifted up his shirt to reveal a bright white scar in his abdomen where Garston had sunk in his blade and twisted. He’d been a threat, Tjelvar reminded himself, and a bit of him felt pride in that. At least he still had his morals to lead him onward. 

He shuddered when Edward reached out and traced over the pattern of the scar, half from the coldness of his fingers and half from the internal warmth it brought him. Then, Edward, pressed his whole hand against Tjelvar’s side and a familiar, healing sensation washed over him. 

“I think it was already healed,” Tjelvar stated. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“Just in case.”

“Well… thank you.”

Edward smiled proudly and it was all Tjelvar could do to keep from kissing him again. Instead, he reached out and pulled Edward into an embrace, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tight for both their sakes. 

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” Tjelvar mumbled into Edward’s shoulder as the paladin held him back tightly. “When I heard that you’d perished in Rome, I… I didn’t know how I felt.”

“Do you now?”

With a chuckle, he admitted, “Not really. But that’s alright. You’re here.”

Edward let out a contented murmur and gave Tjelvar a comforting squeeze. “I didn’t mean to leave.”

“I know that.”

“I’m sorry I made you sad, though.”

“Edward,” Tjelvar said as he took a step back from the embrace, concerned by how long it had lasted and how, if given an option, he would never want to let go. “I think me mourning you is rather unimportant given everything we’ve just been through.”

He looked down, bit his lip, and then gave a small, half-smile. “Thank you for not being mad at me.”

“Please, there are plenty of reasons I might get annoyed at you, but this is scarcely one of them,” Tjelvar teased and Edward smiled a little bit brighter, lighting up the entire cell. 

The same halfling from the night before came down the hall to give the quarantined individuals a small heaping of breakfast. Edward and Tjelvar each took their portion and sat on opposite beds. 

“Now, if you don’t mind, I would love to know everything about Rome,” Tjelvar said between mouthfuls. “I’ve studied it a great deal, but you’ve actually _been _there.”

“Oh, well. As the Professor says: Rome is the _worst_. There was a lot of evil. And a frog. Didn’t like the frog. Did you know that they willingly eat frogs in France?” Edward gestured with his spoonful of food. “Why would they do that when they have other things they could be eating?”

“You did mention the evil and the frog before, I believe. What about Rome itself? The buildings? Did you find any remaining pottery or mosaics or frescos?”

“Is a fresco the invisible thing that almost ate my new friends?”

Tjelvar chuckled. “Not quite.”

After Tjelvar patiently explained the nuance of various Roman artworks, Edward launched off, describing in detail his time in Rome. Tjelvar frequently had to keep him focused, as he had a tendency to ramble and head off on tangents, especially about that frog, but Tjelvar listened intently and eagerly. Part of him wanted to go there and study Rome himself, to follow in a more succinct account of Edward’s footsteps, but he knew that was nearly impossible. Even if Rome wasn’t, well, _Rome_, the world had more pressing issues at present. 

However, Edward’s storytelling kept the pair entertained for the remainder of the day, even if he got very distracted at times. Occasionally, he paused to pray to Apollo and Tjelvar waited patiently. He’d only ever studied religion, never much participated in it himself, but there was something serene in Edward’s faith that he could greatly appreciate in their situation. Brushing against the white scar in his abdomen, he figured it might be a good idea for him to offer up some quiet thanks to Apollo as well. If it weren’t for him, for Edward, for the Lyre… well, it didn’t matter now. 

The sun set, and all of the various refugees slowly started to crawl into their beds for what little rest they could muster before they’d be ousted for another inspection the following morning. Tjelvar acknowledged that he was more at ease since they first got dropped in this impromptu prison, and that was in no small part due to having Edward with him. Still, sleep didn’t come easy. 

At one point, halfway through the night, Tjelvar cast his eyes over to Edward, who he found staring at the ceiling. 

“Edward?”

“Tjelvar? Are you alright?”

_No_, Tjelvar wanted to say. Instead, he focused on the words he’d planned in his head. “I have a question for you.”

“Oh, that’s good. I have a question too. You should go first.”

Tjelvar knew that insisting Edward take the lead, to save himself the embarrassment that would hide, invisible, on his cheeks in the darkness, would only lead in a circle. 

“I was wondering if you might allow me to come sleep over there. With you.”

“Oh!” Edward exclaimed, and Tjelvar immediately wanted to slap himself. If he wasn’t going to get any sleep, he figured, he might as well be comfortable, and he would always be more comfortable at Edward’s side. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything,” he stuttered. “What was your question?”

“That was my question! I mean, not quite like that, but, you know.” He scooted to the side to make space beside him and gestured for Tjelvar to crawl under the covers with him. 

“Are you sure?”

“Very sure.”

Tjelvar smiled as he stepped over and slid in beside Edward. They both stared up at the ceiling, their sides barely touching as their breathing fell into an easy sync. 

“I’m glad Einstein said he would make each of us a mobile stone,” Edward whispered into the air. “That way we can keep in touch, even when we have to go on our separate ways.”

“I meant what I said before. I want to go with you. To deliver the Lyre, and wherever else you go after that. If, uh, if you’ll have me, of course.”

“You really want to?” Edward’s breath caught. Tjelvar couldn’t help but think of how the other Apollo lot spoke of him, like he was a burden or an inconvenience. Sure, there were times that he was the most frustrating person on the planet, but Tjelvar could think of nothing worse than not being with him. 

“If you’ll have me. Someone has to keep you out of trouble, Eddie,” Tjelvar added jokingly, trying to diffuse the gravity of his request. 

“I like it when you call me Eddie.” He admitted, shifting his weight a little so that he rested more firmly against Tjelvar. “Back with… Friedrich… and the others, they would only call me that if they were more disappointed in me than usual. But the way you say it… I like it. I like _you_.”

Tjelvar reached across the small space between their hands and laced his fingers through Edward’s. 

“We should still probably get two stones,” Edward remarked. “In case I lose mine again.”

“That’s fair.”

After a small, peaceful moment of silence, Tjelvar yawned. Actually, sincerely, yawned. His body had been aching for sleep, but his mind still raced with everything that had happened. Now, though? Next to Edward? It seemed he finally felt safe enough for the smallest reprieve. 

“Go to sleep,” Edward whispered. “It’s not as if I can go anywhere.”

“If anyone could manage to accidentally find a way out of here, it _would_ be you, though. Few things you do could possibly surprise me at this point, Eddie.”

Tjelvar rolled onto his side to try and get a little more comfortable in the shared space. The beds weren’t intended for more than one occupant, so it was rather cramped, but in a comfortable sort of way.

Shortly after he got situated, he felt an arm lace around him and hold him gently from behind, much in the same way he’d held Edward while they hid in the cold of Russia. Even if the prison was kept cooler than the hot, desert air outside, there was no need for them to huddle for body warmth. This was for peace and comfort, a promise cast into the darkness that no matter what came, they would face it together and they would triumph. And in that moment, they were finally safe. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Arazsya!! If you haven't read _In Sunlight_ or any of their other spectacular work yet, you should go do that! Also, go check them out on tumblr, at yszarin.tumblr.com/  
And thank you to everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed! If you want to find more of my writing, you can hit up kellanswritingblog.tumblr.com or come chat on my personal blog, celsidebottom.tumblr.com <3


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